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Leaving the Hall a Little Taller
The Cambrian Learning Trust’s Platinum Primary Character and Citizenship Awards Presentation Evening11 June 2026The Beacon, Wantage This evening I had the immense pleasure of attending The Cambrian Learning Trust’s Platinum Primary Character and Citizenship Awards Presentation Evening at The Beacon in Wantage. I was there in my role as a Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, which…
1066 and all that
It is not often that I find myself agreeing with the UK’s Secretary of State for education. Indeed, in the past I’ve found myself sitting opposite him vehemently disagreeing with him about his apparent desire to ignore the importance of vocational education. But today, I would like to offer Mr Gove two and a half…
Do unto others…
From when I was fourteen until I took my ‘A’ levels before leaving school, I was taught English by a teacher named Peter Despres. He was assiduous, inspirational and had the highest of aspirations for every one of his pupils. He got me to love Shakespeare (not hard), Jane Austen (even easier a task), Wordsworth…
60 Years of The Award – A celebration at Westminster Abbey
This morning, I was privileged to join more than 2,000 people at an extraordinary service of thanksgiving, held at a Westminster Abbey, to celebrate 60 years of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. We were joined by HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and TRH The Earl and Countess of Wessex. In…
30 years of the Rights of the Child
Today is the 30th anniversary of the signing of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. 30 years ago, I was a young and idealistic teacher, working in a primary school in Lichfield, Staffordshire. I remember reading about the Convention at the time and thinking how surprising it was that no-one had considered…
